


Pines of Rome

by AnthemGlass



Category: The Eagle | Eagle of the Ninth (2011)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-01
Updated: 2012-02-29
Packaged: 2017-10-31 22:37:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/349077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnthemGlass/pseuds/AnthemGlass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marcus travels to Britain to settle his uncle's estate.  Once at the villa he encounters Esca, a pleasant surprise.  Written as a tribute to Ottorino Respighi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Villa

“Holy…” Marcus’s voice trailed off in wonder as he craned his neck in an effort to take in the surroundings.  He knew Uncle Aquila had been rich, but this place was amazing.  The beautiful white, gravel road stretched along, seemingly guided by tall trees on either side that reached up high and blossomed near the top.

As the actual villa came into view Marcus gasped.  The cream building looked like something out of a history textbook.  How had he never seen this wonderful place?

Small water features were incorporated with the substantial gardens that surrounded the building.  Marcus stepped out of the silver rental car and walked up the stone pathways that weaved towards the front door.  He felt his pockets of the keys he’d received from the lawyer.

The inside was shockingly blander.  All of the beauty and grandiose of the outside seemed tamed inside.  There was a plant here and there, some nice old furniture, but nothing over the top.

The sound of metal scraping made Marcus flinch and freeze.  Someone was in the house.  Marcus crept towards the room the sound had come from.  He flipped around the corner into what appeared to be a completely empty kitchen.  The oven was on and a pan was sitting on top heating.

Marcus slowly made his way across the kitchen towards the only exit.  Suddenly from the doorway to the pantry a man appeared holding a loaf of bread.  “Holy fuckin’ shite!!”  He screamed.

Marcus jumped at him knocking the man to the ground and pinning him to the tiled floor.  “Who the hell are you?”

It seemed the man, who couldn’t be more than a year older than Marcus, couldn’t speak from the pressure Marcus had placed on his neck.  Marcus released his neck but held him to the tiles.  Coughing the man struggled for breath before weakly answering, “Esca, who the fuck are you?”

Marcus cocked his head, “Esca?”  The name sounded familiar.  “I’m Marcus Aquila and this is my house.”

Realization flooded Esca’s face however the annoyance never left, “Will you get off me Mr. Aquila?”

Marcus leapt up before extending a hand to help the smaller man up.  Esca accepted the help before grabbing the bread and continuing towards the oven.  He placed two pieces on the pan before adding two slices of cheese.

“What are you doing here?”  Marcus asked.

“I live here,” Esca shrugged.

Marcus was so confused.  “Wait what?  No, my uncle lived here and he just died….”

“I know your uncle is dead,” Esca snapped interrupting Marcus and returning his cold gaze.  “I know your uncle better than you do.”  His voice was short but not raised.

Marcus pulled out the letter from the lawyer that had accompanied the keys.  Scanning it he looked for any sign as to what was going on.  As he reached the bottom he saw the postscript, which he’d ignored previously.  _PS: Watch out for Esca._   That’s why the name was familiar; he’d thought Esca was a dog or something.

“How do you know my uncle?”  Marcus surrendered.

Esca sighed returning to the grilled cheese he was expertly crafting.  “I work for him…” He dipped his head before correcting, “ _worked_ for him.”

“He had servants?”  Marcus gawked.

“I’m a cook,” Esca shook his head.  “And yes, there were a number of people employed by your uncle for the last ten years.  I however am the only one that lives in the Villa.”

“You live here?”  Marcus seemed shocked.

“We do,” Esca’s voice lowered more.  It seemed like he was having trouble meeting Marcus’s gaze. 

“We?”  Marcus repeated before he heard the front door slam open and a rumble come racing down the hallway.

A beast came barely into the kitchen, black and grey fur and roaring with fury.  Esca’s face lit up with happiness and got to his knees and lifted what turned out to be a boy in some sort of wolf costume.  The boy only broke character when Esca showered him with kisses.

The now laughing child stood waiting for the grilled cheese which Marcus now realized was made specially for him.  “Here you go!”  Esca said wrapping the sandwich in a paper towel.  “Not anywhere in the house, and careful, it’s a little hotter than usual, just took it off the stove.”

The boy hungrily grabbed the wrapping growling like a wolf and made his way out towards the door leading out of the kitchen and into the backyard.  He froze the instant he noticed the hulking, foreign man sitting at the dinner table.

Instantly all character left and the boy just stared with no words.  “This is Mr. Aquila, can you say hi to him?”

The boy motioned for Esca to come closer.  Esca knelt and offered his ear.  The boy cupped his hand and began to whisper.  Esca’s face melted into a somber expression, “No, this is a different Mr. Aquila.  We’ll talk more about it later, go on, shoo!”  He said as he ushered the boy out of the door and into the beautiful weather.

Esca stood for a moment at the door watching the boy pick and place to lie down and enjoy his snack.  “As you see Mr. Aquila, your uncle’s death affected more people than you might realize.”

“How old is he?’  Marcus asked, feeling like a peeper watching Esca watching the boy.

“He’s eight,” Esca sighed. 

“And you both… live here?”  Marcus asked haltingly.

Esca finally took his eyes off the boy and turned to Marcus.  "Yes, we both live in that shack there."  Marcus stood to look.  Sure enough a small home lay past the backyard though still within the confines of the property.  "It's not much, but it's really wonderful.  Mr. Aquila, uh… your uncle, was a good man and he gave us that to live in.”

“I didn’t know him,” Marcus blurted. 

“Wha?”  Esca asked.

“I never met my uncle,” Marcus hung his head in shame.  “It was one of those things, you know?  I always thought I’d have a chance to come out and visit… but I guess life got in the way.  And then…”

“And then he died,” Esca finished.

“Yeah,” Marcus choked.

“And your da?”  Esca looked back out at the boy.  It seemed he couldn’t keep his eyes off of him for any long period of time.

“He’s…” Marcus didn’t feel like explaining it again.  “Not in the picture.”

Esca understood.  He kept silent, figuring asking about Marcus’s mother may end the same way.

“What’s his name?”  Marcus broke the silence.

Esca laughed, “Cub.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow, “Cub?”

“Yeah… His real name is Lancelot but he responds to Cub mostly,” Esca was beaming with this change of subject.  “Don’t know if you noticed the outfit…”

Marcus laughed, “Hard not to.  What’s the story behind that?”

Esca shrugged.  It seemed both of the men had their secrets.  “Oh!  There he goes!”  Esca laughed as he jumped out the door.  Only seconds later Marcus heard the cries.

Cub had fallen.  Nothing worse than scraped up knees, but Esca was by his side and lifting him up.  Marcus heard Esca with a calming voice soothing the child.  “You’re all right,” Esca assured him. 

Marcus took the break from Esca as a chance to explore more of the home.  His initial assessment of it had been unfair.  Though the inside did not match the outside, the interior was still beautiful and immaculately cared for, no doubt Esca or another servant’s doing. 

Coming out of the kitchen Marcus made his way towards the locked door.  When he’d spoken the lawyer handling the estate he’d been informed that this door was locked and there hadn’t been a key.  Marcus tried the door.  Sure enough it wouldn’t budge.  He’d break into it later when he started going through more stuff.  He wandered off and began to explore more of the home.

It seemed Marcus had wandered his way into the master bedroom, likely the bedroom of his late uncle.  It had an air of having never been slept in, though Marcus again noted that the villa had probably been cleaned and organized since the passing. 

A few picture frames on the dresser caught his eye.  Three to be exact, the first was a picture of his father and his uncle.  Both much younger, it seemed to be before his father had met his mother, as his father’s left hand had no ring. With that knowledge Marcus was able to date that his father must have been about twenty-five, Marcus’s age.

Marcus felt his breath hitch as he reached the second photo.  It was a single picture of Marcus.  He remembered the photo.  His dad had taken it when they’d gone hiking.  He remembered because it was taken only a few months before his father died.

The third picture was certainly the most surprising.  His Uncle Aquila, much older now, was standing happily with a beaming and younger Esca, a young woman, and in the young woman’s arms was… a baby.

“You never said what you do,” Esca’s voice startled Marcus into a straighten posture.

“Excuse me?”  Marcus asked.

“What do you do for a living?”  Esca asked again.

“I… I run an online business service that helps large corporations streamline their investigative and hiring practices,” Marcus shrugged.

“Aren’t you a little young to have your own business?”  Esca cocked his head obviously impressed by Marcus.

“I started it with a friend when we were still in college,” Marcus avoided the answer he felt he might have to give.  “But he pretty much left the business to me when he married.”

“Where did you get the money to start the business?”  Esca asked.

There it was.  Marcus sighed with a twinge of shame, “My uncle.”

Esca’s eyes widened with surprise.  The judging silence that followed made Marcus’s face blush.  The man who’d funded the starting of his now incredibly successful business had not only been family, but he’d never met him.

Marcus turned back to the photo, “This is you.”

“Yeah,” Esca replied.

“And your wife?”

Esca grunted, “Will you be staying for dinner?”

“What?”  Marcus was thrown.

“I’ll be fixing dinner,” Esca continued.  “Requests?”

“You don’t have to do that,” Marcus assured him.

“I’ll have it ready at six thirty, sir,” Esca said bowing slightly as he backed out of the room.

Marcus felt entirely uncomfortable by the idea of having a cook.  However the discussion of food had reminded him that he hadn’t eaten and his stomach grumbled.  He’d avoided the major jet lag during his first night at the hotel before trekking out to the villa.  Having done many business trips in the first few years of the upstart of the company he’d learned to circumvent the effects of time changes.

Not an hour later the amazing smell of whatever Esca was preparing began wafting from the kitchen.  Marcus had not made any headway on sorting through his uncle’s belongings.  Instead he’d managed a few issues that had arisen stateside before going through more of his uncle’s pictures he’d found in the living room.

The two photos of Marcus from the living room were both from his early childhood when both parents were still around.  Marcus began to wonder if his uncle would have even recognized him today.  That familiar shame heated his cheeks.

That ball of faux-fur barreling down the hallway interrupted his thoughts.  Apparently Cub had already warmed up to Marcus’s presence as he ran up to Marcus’s side and began pulling on his jeans and barking.

“Hey little man!”  Marcus laughed.  “Is dinner ready?”

Cub nodded emphatically before taking off towards the kitchen.  “Calm yourself child!”  Esca shouted from the kitchen.

“It smells amazing,” Marcus said with aw as he entered the kitchen.  Esca had prepared some sort of casserole and freshly baked bread.  His uncle must have eaten quite well.

Esca ignored the compliment, “The dining room is prepared for you.  I’ll be in shortly with the hotpot.”

Marcus shrugged and made his way to the dining room, which he’d found earlier.  The table wasn’t enormous, but it would comfortably seat eight people.  Despite its size, there was only a single place setting.

Esca appeared behind him with the casserole and bread both balanced expertly, in tow was Cub with a silver pitcher filled with ice water.

“You’re not eating?”  Marcus asked as he took his seat.

Esca shook his head, “We will eat at the kitchen table when you’re finished.”

Marcus laughed at the absurdity, “Oh come on!  You’re not seriously going to make me eat alone.  Did my uncle make you eat in the kitchen?”

“No,” Esca replied.  “Cub and I would eat with him every night.”

“Please Esca, eat with me.  I’m not as heartless as you think I am,” Marcus said with a twinge of sadness.

“I don’t think….” Esca began.

“It’s all right, just join me please,” Marcus interrupted.

“ _Lance_!”  Esca said with a hushed whisper.  “Stop playing with your food.”  What had previously been an airplane forged out of a slice of bread quickly returned to being dinner.

The look on the little boy’s face was mostly disappointment.  Marcus grinned at the exchange before silently grabbing the attention of the child and “flying” his own slice of bread into his mouth.

Cub brightened but still kept his own bread grounded for fear of his father’s backlash.

 

 

Esca smirked only slightly as to not let on either party at the dinner table in on the fact that he’d witnessed the exchange.  Maybe he’d been unfair to judge Marcus so quickly. 

However that sinking feeling was ever present.  He still had not asked what Marcus had planned to do about the property.  He assumed the young entrepreneur would not be inclined to stay at the villa and being that he was obvious of a sound business mind he’d know that property was worth a pretty penny.

He’d been saving as best he could.  Mr. Aquila had treated him well, including salary-wise.  However most of what he’d saved had gone towards Sarah’s medical bills, something Esca had been too damn proud to allow Mr. Aquila to pay.  The assurance that Mr. Aquila would always be around had been too alluring and Esca had allowed it to define his pride.

Now his future was in the hands of Marcus.  Even in his thoughts he sneered the name.  The unusual businessman with his hulking frame and substantial muscles distracted Esca’s lingering eye.  It had been a while since Esca had talked to a regular guy, much less one as attractive as Marcus.  Sarah would say he was a regular muscle god.

“Hey Cub, why don’t you starting clearing the table and then get to work on those dishes?”  Esca asked nicely expecting a fight or at least some resistance.

Cub barked and jumped up grabbing as much as he could for the first trip and balancing his way into the kitchen.  That was odd.

“Let me help out,” Marcus said grabbing his own dishes.  “It’s the least I can do since you cooked this incredible meal.”

“Thank you, sir,” Esca said clearing his own place as Cub pranced back in for his second trip.

“Esca,” Marcus sighed.  “Please stop calling me sir.”

“Sorry about that,” Esca laughed.  “Old habit.”

Cub and Marcus did mostly a good job with the dishes.  Though somehow they managed to get a fair amount of water splashed over much of the kitchen. 

“I think it’s your bedtime,” Esca said ruffling Cub’s furry head.  Cub whined sleepily only proving Esca’s point.  “Story?”

Cub nodded and headed out the kitchen door to their little home.  “I’ll be back to clean this up in a bit, Mr. Aquila.”

 

 

Esca cleared out before Marcus could correct him on the name.  He never liked being called Mr. Aquila, sir, or anything other than Marcus.  Even the software engineers and other personnel he employed called him Marcus.

Marcus began wiping up the mess he and Cub had made.  That had been fun.  He’d never had a sibling, but he always imagined it’d be something like that.  Though in reality he knew there’d have been much more fighting too.

As he finished up the last bit of soapy water Esca came back in through the door.  “Mr. Aquila, I’m sorry.  I was going to take care of that!”

“Holy crap Esca,” Marcus laughed.  “Please for the love of God call me Marcus.  And I can handle my own chores, I’m not an invalid.”

“Your uncle was not an invalid,” Esca said bluntly.  Marcus winced.  That hadn’t been what he’d meant, but that definitely was what it had sounded like.

Knowing he had nothing to say to correct himself, Marcus simply opened the fridge door and found exactly what he was looking for.  Holding up two beers Marcus smiled, “You, me, back porch, beers.”

Esca laughed.  “Sounds good to me.”

“What was my uncle like?” Marcus asked opening finishing up his first beer.  He was interrupting what had been a nice silence.

Esca sighed, “Your uncle was such a good man, through and through.”

Marcus nodded.  After a bit more silence Marcus asked, “And what about your son?  Where’s his mother?”

Esca sighed.  “Don’t get me wrong, Lancelot is my son… but I am not his biological father.”

Marcus turned to face Esca with a puzzled face. 

“Sarah, my best friend.  Lance is her son.  She was a maid here.  She died two years ago,” Esca rubbed his forehead with his fingers.  “Lance’s dad wasn’t in the picture… so she left him to me.  That was two years ago.”

There was a deep sadness in Esca’s voice.  “When did he start wearing that costume?”

“Two years ago,” Esca sighed.  Marcus had figured as much.  Children dealt with things so differently than adults.  Marcus was too afraid to have children of his own for that very reason.  The fear of screwing up kept him single and childless.

“So you and Sarah were never…” Marcus couldn’t bring himself to say “romantically involved” so instead he just took a sip of beer.

“Naw, I’m a homo,” Esca answered with his seemingly usual bluntness. 

Marcus choked violently on that sip of beer.  Esca chuckled as Marcus tried desperately to get a handle on his fit of coughing.  He wasn’t ashamed of who he was and figured Marcus would be letting him go any day now anyways.

Marcus was quiet after his coughs settled.  “Are you dating someone?”  Esca asked.

Marcus shook his head, “No time.”

Esca nodded letting the conversation fizzle out for the more comfortable silence.

“Shit it’s getting late,” Marcus yawned.

“Aye,” Esca said standing and grabbing his two bottles and Marcus’s three in one swipe.

“Esca,” Marcus groaned.  “You don’t have to…” But Esca had already disappeared in the kitchen.  Marcus had felt the shift when Esca had told him he was gay.  Marcus had never met a gay person, not really.  Instantly he felt way too uncomfortable.

“Good night, Marcus,” Esca said as he reentered the back porch and began to make his way to the cottage. 

“Good night,” Marcus replied with barely a whisper.  That had been the first time Esca had called him Marcus… he like the sound of his name when Esca said it.  Flushing, he shook his head and made his way back into the villa.  His uncle’s bed just seemed too charged of a place to sleep so Marcus found the largest couch, which he still did not entirely fit in and fell asleep.


	2. The Catacombs

Faint sounds of sizzling and an incredible smell gently eased Marcus awake.  Sitting up he felt his joints crack as he stretched and began his recovery from sleeping on what turned out to be a surprisingly uncomfortable couch.  “Oww,” Marcus groaned as he twisted and turned cracking parts of his body he didn’t know could crack.

Dressed in gym shorts and an undershirt, Marcus padded his way towards the sounds and smells, which were not surprisingly coming from the kitchen.  Dressed in jeans and a flannel button up, Esca was hard at work on eggs and bacon.

“Mornin’,” Esca mumbled as he prepared the plate.  Marcus hoisted himself into one of the kitchen table chairs with a grunt.

“Good morning,” Marcus yawned.

Esca placed the plate in front of him before returning to the stove and making his own breakfast.

“Where’s Cub?”  Marcus asked as he polished off his eggs and started devouring his remaining bacon.

“School,” Esca replied.

“Does he go in the costume?”  Marcus chuckled.

“He just goes down the road to a neighbor.  Mr. Aquila hired a private tutor who lives in the house a little ways away.  She’s the only person who can get him to actually act like a human being,” Esca said.  There was a hint of jealousy in his voice.  Like he had wished he’d been able to get Cub to act like a boy.  “I just don’t know how she does it.”  He took a seat in front of Marcus and began to eat his breakfast.

“He’s a good kid,” Marcus’s voice still had the deep, sleepy hum.  “You’re doing fine.”

Esca sighed, though Marcus didn’t know anything about parenting, it was obvious his words were comforting to the young, unexpected father.

Marcus dumped his empty plate in the sink and began to wash the dishes.  “Mr….” Esca held his tongue.  “Marcus, please let me do the dishes.”

Marcus ignored him and continued to rub them down as he placed them in the dishwasher.  “You have any plans for the day?”  Marcus asked.

“I can work around whatever you’re doing,” Esca replied.

“That’s not what I meant,” Marcus shrugged.  “I was wondering if you wanted to visit my uncle’s grave with me.”

Esca nodded, “Yeah, I’ll go.”

Marcus chuckled with a twinge of sadness, “Figure if I’m going to sell his villa I should at least see his grave.”

Esca turned off.  Instantly he became slightly colder as he placed his own dish in the dishwasher before silently heading off to the cottage.  Marcus didn’t know what he said to piss Esca off.  Shrugging he went to go shower and get ready.

 

 

The cemetery was quiet.  It was a warm spring morning with only the sound of chirping birds accompanying the two men standing in front of the grave.

Esca wondered how much longer they’d be.  He’d spent a fair amount of time visiting Uncle Aquila since his death.  It was a habit Esca had already gotten used to since he lost Sarah.

He should visit Sarah’s grave before they left.  It was quite convenient that the two of them were buried in the same cemetery. 

“I’m a monster,” Marcus stated matter-of-factly.

Esca turned and looked up at the man who was much taller than he.  He stared at Marcus waiting for an explanation.

“I…” Marcus tried but stopped.  Esca faintly wondered if this giant was going to start crying, then he realized the fact that he wasn’t crying was probably what spurred this revelation.  “He did so much for me and I never met him.  I only talked to him a few times when we started the company.”

Esca looked back down at the grave.  He didn’t know what to say so he figured it was best to say nothing.

“He probably wouldn’t recognize me on the street if he passed by,” Marcus shrugged.

“Let’s go.  I should show you something,” Esca said as he began walking back towards the car.  He’d visit Sarah another time.  There was something Marcus needed to see.

 

 

“This door is locked, the lawyer said there wasn’t a key,” Marcus said as the approached the mystery door at the end of the hallway.

Esca pulled a single key from his pocket and unlocked the door.  “He gave this to me.  Figured you’d break down the door anyway,” Esca shrugged.

The room was small.  It seemed to be nothing but storage.  A small bookshelf was at the opposite end of the room.  Esca went straight to it and grabbed a large brown binder.  Opening to the first page to check if it was the right one he handed it to Marcus.

 _College Sensation:  Two University of North Texas Students Start Wildly Successful Online Network_.  It was the Dallas Morning News.  Marcus remembered the article.  It was written after a few big names had invested in the site.  He laughed at the goofy pictured they’d decided to print of him and Steve, his business partner.  The whole article was here.

The next page contained the Washington Post, New York Times, Business Weekly.  There were all here.  All of the articles from when the company blew up and became a business sensation.

“He kept up with me?”  Marcus was surprised by how weak his voice sounded.

“Turn the page,” Esca laughed.  “This next one was always his favorite.”

Marcus returned to the binder turning the page.  _Campus’s Most Eligible Bachelor: Marcus Aquila_.

Marcus sputtered with laughter.  Uncle Aquila had the campus newspaper’s front-page article from the Valentine’s Day just after his incredible success.  The picture was of him in only jeans on the stage at the date auction he’d participated in.  He was flexing for the bidders.

“Oh my god,” Marcus laughed.  Marcus had dropped out just after that semester.

“He was really fucking proud of you,” Esca said.  “He talked about you a lot.”

“Really?”  Marcus was dumbfounded. 

“Yeah!”  Esca said.  “I’d be too if my son had done as much as you had by the age twenty-two.”

“But I wasn’t his son…”

“Close enough.  You were the closest thing he had to a son.  You were his only family.”

“Jesus,” Marcus breathed.  “So wait, you knew about me and what I did before I got here?”

“Yeah, I knew,” Esca smiled.  “It’d be hard not to.  I asked because I didn’t want to seem like a stalker.”

“Oh,” Marcus flushed at the idea.

“I’ll leave you to it.  Lunch will be ready in a half an hour,” Esca said bowing out of the room again.

 

 

 _I didn’t want to seem like a stalker?!_   Esca replayed the conversation in his mind countless times.  He was so awkward!  Truth was he had kind of been a stalker.  Marcus Aquila was so gorgeous.  Ever since he started working for Uncle Aquila when he was fifteen he’d been enamored with the nephew.

Esca was making a grilled chicken salad for he and Marcus to share.  He hoped Marcus liked salad. 

“So um…” Marcus cleared his throat as he sat down at the kitchen table.

Esca jumped.

“So do you have a boyfriend?”  Marcus was rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Esca chuckled lightly, “No, the little man makes that a little difficult.”

“Oh right,” Marcus was having serious difficulties making eye contact.

Esca placed a bowl of salad in front of Marcus, “Why the sudden interest?”

Marcus stared at the salad, “No reason.”

Lunch was nearly silent besides the respective salad chewing.  Esca didn’t mind, he much preferred silence. 

 

 

Marcus hated the silence.  It was so awkward.  Why did he bring up Esca’s love life again?  He was going to let it go.

Marcus never really got close to many people.  He’s always just had a string of acquaintances.  The only person who that hadn’t been true for was Steve.  He and Steve had been friends since high school and even through the hardest times that arose from the business speed bumps.

Steve had been his only real friend.  That should have made Marcus sad, but for some reason it really didn’t bother him in the end.  What DID bother him were the strange feelings he was getting about Esca.  He never depended on people and he never felt like he missed someone even when they were in the next room.

All of this seemed to compound in Marcus when he thought about Esca.  And shit, he knew the guy for like twenty-four hours.  But even a straight man could admit that Esca was absolutely beautiful.

“What?”  Esca asked almost sounding annoyed.

“Huh?”  Marcus asked afraid that a bit of salad was falling out of his mouth.

“You’re staring at me,” Esca deadpanned. 

“I’m…” Marcus didn’t remember staring but now that he thought about it maybe he had been.  “I…”

Esca stood and slowly made his way towards Marcus.  Marcus felt his pulse instantly quicken and his breathing shorten.  Was this happening?  Esca got closer with each step.  Esca leaned, his face so close Marcus would barely need to move to lock lips with the man.  Marcus hoped his face wasn’t begging for the connection he felt so desperate for. 

Then, like a rug being torn out from under him, Esca grabbed Marcus’s plate and walked away.  Marcus almost moaned with desperation.  No person had ever had that effect on Marcus, male or female.

Esca flipped on the stove again and began preparing a grilled cheese sandwich.  A sign, no doubt, that Cub would be barreling down the hallway soon enough.

“I have to meet with the lawyer in an hour, I think I’ll go ahead and head out for that,” Marcus said, his voice surprisingly weak.

“Okay,” Esca replied as if nothing had happened.  Maybe nothing had happened; maybe this was all in Marcus’s head.

 

 

“I’m assuming you would like to sell the villa?”  Mr. Norton sighed as he read through more documents pertaining to the will.

“Uh,” Marcus assumed that was what he was going to do, but knowing that Esca and Cub lived there changed things.  “Maybe?”

“Maybe?”  Mr. Norton was concerned.

“What would happen to the people that lived there?”  Marcus asked.

“They’d have to find somewhere else to live… simple as that.  But it’s not like you’re going to be living here so there’s no need for servants to be living on the grounds even if you didn’t sell.”

“But if I didn’t they could still live there right?”  Marcus was hopeful.

“Of course, but what good is that going to do anybody?  They need to find other work anyways… unless you intend to move here.”

Marcus didn’t have an answer.

“Okay, here’s the deal Mr. Aquila,” Mr. Norton said as he placed down the papers.  “Take a few days to decide what you want to do.  Clean out your uncle’s belongings and organize everything.  If you want to make the sale, there are plenty of buyers interested.  Here’s a document from one of those buyers,” Mr. Norton slid one of the papers he’d been reading.  “The bid there is probably the highest you’ll get for the property and it is _very_ generous.”

Marcus looked down, one point five million dollars.  The number made him feel sick to his stomach.  The villa was beautiful and large, but for some reason the offers he’d imagined were never that high.

 

 

Marcus walked in a few hours later.  It was like he owned the place.  Esca shrugged, technically he did, but he hadn’t lived here.  He hadn’t cared for Uncle Aquila.  He didn’t truly understand what it was like.  “I have beers!”  He cheered holding up a plastic bag.

“Eh?”  Esca raised an eyebrow.

“I think we near finished up the ones that were in the fridge,” Marcus said loading the loot.

So this drinking at night was going to be a thing…. Maybe Esca would use tonight to talk to Marcus about what was to happen to the villa (and Esca’s home).

Later that night, Cub’s eyes couldn’t stay open.  Esca chuckled as he made it to page three and his little boy was already out like a light.  Esca debated not going back over, but he didn’t want to let Marcus down.  As he walked across the lawn he saw that Marcus had already taken a seat on the porch and positioned the beers so they were chilling.

It was quiet for a long while, the two young men enjoy the evening and the beers.  “What’s it like?”  Marcus asked his voice laced with nervous energy.

Esca could guess what he was after, but he enjoyed torturing the poor soul, “What’s what like?”

“Sex…” Marcus replied.  “I mean with a guy.”

Esca chuckled, “Much like it is with a girl except more masculine I’d imagine.”

Marcus’s lips pursed before he seemingly forced himself to look away.  He took a swig from his beer and continued looking out into the night.  Esca opened his mouth to ask Marcus why he was curious, however instead of words coming out, Esca got a face-full of Marcus.

Marcus pressed himself against Esca hard.  The desperate kiss filled with bottled up emotions erupted as Marcus passionately grabbed both sides of Esca’s face, framing their kiss.

 

 

It seemed as though throughout the entire kiss all Marcus’s mind could conjure was a string of obscenities with the word “stop” sprinkled among them.  His body, however, would not let his mind have any control. 

Esca’s body seemed to have more control, “What are you doing?”

Esca’s words had no trace of how he felt.  Was he mad, happy, turned on?  Marcus stared without a word, without an explanation.  What had he been doing?

“You okay?”  Esca asked this time Marcus could tell that he was at least not angry.

“Your bed or mine?”  Marcus growled.  He wasn’t entirely sure he’d meant to say that, but the cheesy line seemed to do the trick.  Esca smirked grabbing Marcus by the arm and leading him back into the villa towards Uncle Aquila’s room.  It was right then that Marcus realized he didn’t have a bed.  “Oh no,” Marcus froze.

Esca tilted his head before realizing what Marcus was feeling.  His face told Marcus he felt similarly.  “Couch,” Esca said already pulling Marcus’s shirt off and dropping it in the hallway. 

Marcus fumbled with Esca’s belt as Esca pushed the two of them onto the couch.  Marcus managed to undo Esca’s trousers and began to yank them down.

Marcus stared at Esca’s exposed manhood, his eyes wide with fear and lust.

Esca grabbed Marcus’s cock through his jeans, making the man writhe under his grasp.  Both began to furiously strip off their remaining clothes before rubbing their naked bodies together.

“I want you to fuck me,” Marcus whispered.

Esca stopped rubbing and stared in disbelief.  “That’s what you mean by ‘sex with a guy’?”

Marcus nodded, wasn’t that straightforward?

Esca seemed even more excited if that was even possible.  “Condoms?”

Marcus chuckled, “my suitcase.”

“Oi, came prepared?”  Esca said diving into Marcus’s suitcase and retrieving the orange package from the zipper pocket.

“My secretary has a strange sense of humor,” Marcus laughed before sobering.  “Is this going to hurt?”  Despite his worry, his dick stayed rock hard and seemed to pulse with excitement.

Esca disappeared into the bathroom.  “This oil should do the trick,” he said returning with what looked like massage oil.  Marcus took a deep breath as Esca positioned himself behind the beautiful man.  Marcus was happy he was lying on his back; it turned him on that he could still look at Esca.

The first push sent shivers of pleasure and pain through Marcus’s body.  It felt like everything was tingling before the pain really hit him.  Esca was slow as he navigated further inside. 

Then something magical happened, all the pain he’d felt previous dissipated and a new sensation of wonderful bliss blossomed.  Marcus moaned unapologetically.

“Esca,” Marcus whispered closing his eyes.

Esca, thrilled by Marcus’s reaction aimed for the same spot.  Every time he hit it Marcus felt that angelic pulse of pleasure.

It was long before Marcus’s cock was desperate for attention.  Esca wrapped his fist around it and began pumping.  “Oh GOD!”  Marcus yelled as he exploded across his chest, leaving trails of white spread about from just below his chin to his groin.

Though he didn’t say anything, Esca’s blissful expression led Marcus to believe that he’d just come as well.  In that brief moment post-bliss, Marcus couldn’t help but worry that he’d been bad or too quick to come.  In reality that was the first time he’d ever experienced anything like that, he couldn’t have had control anyway.

“I’ll get you a towel,” Esca said leaping up and pulling off the condom before disappearing into the bathroom again. 

“You want to spend the night with me?”  Marcus asked as he wiped himself up.

Esca frowned, “Sorry Marcus, not really my thing.  I’ll see ya in the morning.”

“Oh yeah, that’s cool,” Marcus tried to play it off.  “See you in the morning.”  He rolled over on the couch and stared off into the distance.  Suddenly what he and Esca had just done seemed wrong…


	3. The Janiculum

The sound of sizzling and enticing smell of bacon made Marcus shoot awake.  He jumped with surprise as he found himself staring at Esca.  Esca was smiling as he crouched in front of the couch with the pan of sizzling bacon waving in front of Marcus’s face.  “You up now?”

“Yeah,” Marcus winced as the sunlight hit him. 

Marcus groaned as he plopped down at the table and sleepily munched on the food.  If it weren’t for the Esca’s incredible flavors, Marcus wouldn’t have actually tasted the breakfast.  His soreness was a sour reminder of the night before which Marcus had officially decided was ruined by Esca’s dashing escape.

Esca seemed annoyed that Marcus was so grumpy, but he was weakly trying to cover it up with his oddly over happy mood.  Marcus saw right through him.

“Cub?”  Marcus attempted conversation.

“School,” Esca chuckled.  “No different than yesterday.”

“Have you ever thought about getting him checked out?”  Marcus asked placing his plate in the dishwasher.

Esca shut down, all fake happiness drained immediately.  “Drop it,” Esca growled.

“I’m just saying, maybe some professional help could make him…” Marcus faded and shrugged.

Esca slammed his fist on the table, “You think I don’t know he’s not normal?!  Listen up,” Esca said standing directly in front of Marcus and poking him with his finger.  “I don’t need some rich asshole telling me how to raise my son.  Butt out of it!”

If the situation hadn’t been so intense, Marcus would have laughed at Esca’s bravery.  Marcus easily had seven inches on him and plenty more muscle.

Marcus raised his hands in mock surrender as he turned and padded back to the living room, leaving Esca standing in the kitchen, fuming.

 

 

“Who the hell do you think you are?!”  Esca yelled following Marcus into the living room.

“Whoa!”  Marcus had just stepped out of his gym shorts though he seemed unfazed that he was only in boxers.

“No!”  Esca kicked the couch.  “You think you can just come over here and tell me what to do with my son in my house…”

“Your house?”  Marcus laughed.  “Actually it’s my…”

Had Marcus been looking at Esca he would’ve seen the punch coming.  However, he’d been picking up his shorts, which gave Esca the perfect opportunity to land a solid fist on Marcus’s face sending him stumbling backwards for a moment.

“What the fuck?”  Marcus grabbed the side of his face.

“You haven’t lived here.  You didn’t take care of your uncle like I did, everyday!”  Esca felt an overbearing sense of grief take over.  It was a familiar feeling he’d had in the past, but he had hoped he’d gotten past it.

Marcus’s anger faded as he watched what Esca could only imagine looked like a self-destruction.

 

 

“I’m sorry,” Esca whimpered as he charged out of the room.  Marcus followed until he reached the kitchen door and watched as Esca ran across the yard and disappeared in the cottage.

After about an hour of just lying around the house, Marcus’s phone began to ring.  “Hello?”

“ _Marcus_?”

Marcus almost dropped the phone, “Steve?”

“ _Hey buddy_ ,” Steve sounded different.  “ _What’s it been, like a year and a half since we talked?_ ”

“Yeah,” Marcus sat down on the couch.  “How are you doing?”

“ _Well I hate to do this to you but…_ ” Steve sighed. 

Marcus felt a sinking feeling as Steve’s voice trailed off, “What is it?”

“ _Marcus, I received an offer yesterday,_ ” Steve paused.  “ _They want to buy the company._ ”

“Hold on,” Marcus was trying to fight his anger bubbling inside him.  “I thought we weren’t going to sell.”

“ _I think we should.  It’s a very generous offer_ ,” Steve sounded even less sure of himself.

“No.”

“ _I have control of the company_ ,” Steve sighed.  “ _In the end it’s my decision_.”

“But…” Marcus was helpless.  “But I took over all of your responsibilities when you left!”

“ _I know, and I appreciate that…_ ” Steve swallowed.  “ _I need the money for a new venture._ ”

“You’re starting a different business without me?”  Marcus was feeling dizzy.  This was his one real friend and in only a year and half he seemed to have completely changed.

“ _We had such a great time with starting the business, and I really appreciate your help, but let’s be honest… it was my idea and I needed your uncle for the funding._ ”

Marcus felt like his chest was collapsing.  “You used me?”

“ _You’ve done a good job, but the company really isn’t where it was before I left.  Don’t worry, you’re going to get your share in the settlement._ ”

“Fine,” Marcus couldn’t remember a time when he was angrier.

“ _I’ll call you when…_ ”

“Don’t ever speak to me again.  All other business you’ll do through James,” Marcus interrupted in reference to their accountant.

Marcus threw his phone.  It smacked against the wall and pieces flew off.  Marcus deep down hoped that the pieces were just his case, but he was so enraged it was hard to care.  He stood up and jumped as he noticed Esca standing in the doorway, silent.

“What?!”  Marcus yelled.

“Lunch is ready,” Esca replied meekly.  It seemed the tables had turned and it was Marcus’s turn to be pissed off. 

Marcus felt bad for yelling, especially since Esca had still made him lunch after their turbulent morning.

“What did you hear?”  Marcus grumbled.

“Nothing.  It’s none of my business,” Esca said placing a toasted sandwich on rye and homemade French fries in front of Marcus.

Marcus sighed and bit into the sandwich.  Even at his angriest, Esca’s flavors were still an amazing comfort.  “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“I’m sorry too,” Esca replied taking a seat at the table.

“Where’s your lunch?”  Marcus asked.

“Not hungry,” Esca shrugged.  Marcus hated eating alone.

“I just…” Marcus tried to contain himself.  “I just trusted him and… and…”

“….And he stabbed you in the back?”  Esca finished.

“Exactly,” Marcus sighed.  “You said you took care of my uncle.”

Esca nodded.

“Did you mean like you cooked for him?”  Marcus asked.

“Yes.  But also he was very sick,” Esca explained.  “He had cancer.”

Marcus stared at the table.  Looking at the bland, brown wood helped him to concentrate on not breaking down.  “I used him just like Steve used me.”

Esca wanted to console him, but there was just nothing he could say after that.

Marcus left his plate and his half-eaten food sitting on the table, “I’m going to start sorting through his things.”

“Okay,” Esca said as he began cleaning up after Marcus.

Marcus headed to the living room first.  He pulled out the offer from the lawyer and looked at the number again.  He’d get a substantial amount from the sale of the company, but at this point Marcus wanted a fresh start and there was one way he could assure that.  With pen in hand, Marcus signed the document.  Now it just had to be signed by the buyer and the sale process would begin.

Cub’s return from school alerted Marcus that he’d been at work in his uncle’s secret locked room for about three hours.  He took a moment to survey what he’d managed to do.  About half of the room was boxed up.  He’d gone through the shelf of photo albums of Marcus and through multiple shelves of old books.

Organizing everything helped him to ignore the events of the morning.  Marcus finished the third, huge shelving unit of books.  As he pressed the large box he’d been filling closed he noticed something odd behind the shelf.  Marcus pushed hard shifting the shelves away from the wall.  Behind the shelf, cut out of the wall was a makeshift shelf holding a single photo album.  Marcus pulled it out and inspected the cover.  Apart from a single, large “J” inscribed on the front there was nothing of note.

He opened up to the first page and gasped.  The picture had to be from the early sixties at the latest.  Uncle Aquila looked like he was maybe twenty or twenty-five and he was standing beside a young woman.  The woman was about it his same age, the interesting thing was that she was black.

Marcus looked on the back of the page, “ _Jane and I 1958._ ”  So he was nineteen.  Marcus flipped back to the picture again.  His uncle had his arm wrapped around Jane in a way that could only be described as loving. 

The next picture in the album was just Jane.  She was lying in a bed and looking at the camera seductively.  She was stunningly beautiful.  Marcus flipped to look at the back, “ _My Jane._ ”

Picture after picture.  Some were of just Jane, some of the both of them.  There were none of just Marcus’s uncle.  The earliest dated picture was the first, which places it during 1958.  The last picture placed in the album appeared about halfway through.  It was unfinished.  The date on that picture had been 1966.

They’d apparently been together for eight years.  Marcus’s uncle had moved to Great Britain in 1967.  That could not be a coincidence.

As Marcus stood to continue on he noticed something else in the wall, a small corner of paper.  He carefully pulled it out.  It was a newspaper clipping.  It seemed his uncle had a habit of keeping these.

 _2 Killed in Apparent Hate Crime_.  Marcus sighed, he didn’t recognize the name of the newspaper, but its subtitle insinuated it was meant for an African American audience, likely a byproduct of the civil right movement, which was in full swing.

The article talked about two girls who were killed in a random act of violence after having had a night out together.  One of those girls was Jane.

There was a bark from the doorway of the room.  Marcus peered around the moved bookshelf to find Cub standing right at the line of the doorway staring at Marcus. 

“Hey buddy,” Marcus couldn’t help but smile at the kid.  Even after everything that’d happened that day.  “You can come in.”

Cub shook his head, “I’m not supposed to.”

Marcus hadn’t heard him speak at all before.  “Oh?”

“Dad says,” Cub shrugged.

Esca appeared in the doorway immediately at the sound of his son’s voice.  His eyes were wide with shock.

“That’s okay,” Marcus said standing and feeling his joints crack.

“Dinner’s ready,” Cub smiled before turning around.  “Hi Dad!” 

Esca watched in shock as his son skipped past him and into the kitchen where he grabbed items to be taken to the dinner table.  “Did he…?”

“Talk?”  Marcus chuckled.  “Yeah.”

“What’d you say to him?”  Esca still could not hide his surprise.

“Nothing really, he just told me he couldn’t come in here,” Marcus shrugged.

“There are only two people Lancelot will talk to… his teacher and me… _sometimes_ ,” Esca clarified.  “And I guess now you?”

“I guess,” Marcus didn’t mean to sound like he didn’t care, but his stomach grumbled loudly, “What’s for dinner?”

 

 

“…And then she talked about the Romans.  Did you know that they used to live here in England?”  Cub seemed really jazzed about his history lesson.  Esca laughed with his son, as the boy seemingly couldn’t stop talking.  Esca felt a twinge of guilt for how he’d treated Marcus, who was munching on bread laughing along as Cub monopolized the dinner conversation.

“Time to get to bed, little one,” Esca said as the evening closed in on little Cub’s bedtime.  He’d since quieted, but Esca was still shaken by the day’s events.

Marcus grabbed Esca’s arm as he made his way out the door, “Will you be back?”

“Yeah,” Esca said after some thought.

 

 

About halfway into his second beer, Marcus decided to break the tense silence.  It seemed both men had deep thoughts on their minds.  “Who’s Jane?”

Esca’s shocked face made another appearance for the night, “How do you know about Jane?”

“Who is she?”

“I don’t know,” Esca shrugged.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Your uncle… when his fevers got really bad he’d have these violent dreams.  He always said the same thing… Jane.”

“She was the love of his life,” Marcus nodded.

“Fuckin’ hell… you’re lying,” Esca laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Your uncle was gay,” Esca maintained his chuckling.

“What?  How do you know?”  Realization flooded over Marcus.  “Wait… were you two…”

“No!”  Esca protested.  “No, your uncle told me.  When I came out to him he responded by saying, ‘We’re the same.  I have no desire for women.’”  Esca had done a strange impression of the man that Marcus understood from his phone calls with his uncle.

Marcus nodded.  “Jane was murdered.  I think he may have been telling you that since Jane he hadn’t wanted any other women.”

Esca pondered that before nodding, “That’d be like your uncle.”

Marcus wouldn’t know.

“What about the villa?”

“I don’t know,” Marcus sighed.  “I don’t think I want to sell it.”  Marcus had just out right lied.  He knew he was going to sell it.  This mausoleum was a daily reminder of the man he didn’t know.  Plus the money on the table for the property was more than enough to persuade him.

Esca breathed a sigh of relief.

 

 

Esca finished his beer and decided it was time to move things along.  If last night had been any indication, Esca was going to like having sex with Marcus, and he wanted to do it as much as possible, especially since the man could leave at any time. 

He reached over and began to rub Marcus’s leg.  He could sense Marcus didn’t want this.  He knew that last night he’d changed something by leaving.  Esca didn’t care that he’d done that, but he wanted to have sex again and he hoped he could win over Marcus’s libido.

Sure enough, the rock hard length in his jeans seemed to decide for Marcus as he leaned over and the two began the ritual of kissing as they made their way to their familiar couch.

Marcus’s body was so hard under his hands.  The perfect creases turned him on more than anything.  He felt his breathing shorten as he continued to explore Marcus’s naked upper body.

“What do you want?”  Marcus asked, breathless.

“Would you like to fuck me, Marcus?”

Marcus choked a little before beginning to tear at his pants in a frantic effort to get them off.  Esca chuckled as he finished stripping and took his place on the couch. 

“Go slow,” Esca warned.  “It’s been a while.”

Marcus sheathed his hardon and using the same oil from the evening before he carefully breached Esca and felt his tight warmth envelop his cock.  Marcus shuddered at the sensation.

Esca could tell he wasn’t very experienced, perhaps a virgin even, but he really just didn’t care.  He wanted Marcus on a carnal level and he wasn’t going to spare Marcus’s feelings.  It helped that Marcus obviously felt very good about their current position.

Watching the man begin to gyrate was so fucking beautiful.  His almost clueless expression was a sign of his endearing and seemingly dim nicety that Esca had grown to appreciate during the three days they’d been acquainted. 

“Is this okay?”  Marcus asked hopeful for a certain response.

“It’s perfect.”

Marcus’s face relaxed as they continued to make love.  Esca would never admit that that’s what they were doing, but in reality he’d never experienced sex so sweet.

Maybe he did care.  As he came from the sexual bliss that had overcome him he realized that perhaps he did care for this hulking giant.  Maybe he didn’t want him to leave.  Cub liked him.  Esca liked him.  And he did mention the notion of not selling the villa.

“Please,” Marcus whined.  “Stay the night with me.”

Esca sighed, “Just this once.”

Marcus pulled Esca on top of him before realizing there was not enough room for just him, let alone both of them.  “Ummm…”

Esca chuckled, “Marcus, this couch pulls out.”


	4. The Appian Way

Esca awoke to a soft bark to his left.  The sunlight and odd room threw him off for a second before he remembered agreeing to sleep with Marcus for the night.  He hadn’t even thought about his alarm clock until just now. 

Cub was smiling next to the pulled out bed, dressed in his standard wolf costume.  He let out another soft bark.

“Lance,” Esca whispered.  He didn’t want to wake Marcus just yet.  There was really no easy way to explain to his son what was happening, but it seemed Cub didn’t mind.  “Did you eat breakfast already?”

Cub nodded and let out another soft bark.  His son could handle fixing a bowl of cereal, but that didn’t make Esca feel any less of a terrible father for having slept through the morning.  “You off to school?”

Cub nodded and gave Esca a hug.  Esca smiled, as he did every morning when Cub would hug him before running out the door.  So he’d awoken Esca simply to give him his hug.  Esca felt all warm and fuzzy like only Cub could manage.

Esca sat sleepily on the edge of the bed taking a moment to stare at the sleeping form beside him.  Damn, Marcus was a heavy sleeper.  Looking past him for just a moment he saw a small attaché case with a single slip of paper sticking out.  This was wrong, Esca knew that, but his curiosity seemed to be winning over.  He snuck around the couch and silently pulled out the sheet.

Esca felt his stomach sink.  He also thought he felt a punch in the face and a knife in his spine, but those were in his head.  What wasn’t in his head was the one point five million dollar offer on the villa.  The villa Marcus had claimed he wasn’t selling. 

Esca was on a warpath.

 

 

When Marcus woke up he was initially disappointed that Esca was not in the bed with him.  He hadn’t expected it, but he’d secretly hoped.  The disappointment deepened when he made his way into the kitchen and found it too was empty.

There was movement in the cottage.  Screw boundaries, he wanted to see his Esca this morning, it was technically his cottage any way.

For the first time since arriving at the villa, Marcus made his way across the yard towards Esca and Cub’s home.  The old, wooden door seemed out of a different era.  He knocked strongly on it. 

Nothing.

He knocked again, “Esca?”

The door flew open.  A crazed and enraged Esca stood tall in front of Marcus.  He almost felt as though he was shrinking in front of this new and terrifying Esca.

“What’s wrong?” 

“Get out!”  Esca managed.

“What did I do?”

Marcus was answered with a door slamming in his face feeling the ground shake from the force of the slam.

“Fine!”  Marcus yelled at the door.  “I am so done with all this fucking shit.”

 

 

Esca stood in the cottage.  It wasn’t much.  He and Sarah and Cub had lived here.  It’d been a wonderful home.  It had been theirs, maybe not in deed but definitely in heart.  Nothing about this cottage matched the rest of the villa.  Chances are this millionaire buyer was just going to tear it down anyway. 

This was where his last memories with Sarah were.  This was where his last memories with Uncle Aquila were.  This was everything.  After all that Esca had been through, it was so nice to just have a home.  Just like Marcus never visiting his uncle, Esca figured this cottage would always be there.  And now four days after getting here Marcus has torn that out from under him.

Fucking Marcus.

Marcus who’d won him over in three fucking days.  He’d never been one to jump into bed with anybody, much less spend the night.  He’d foolishly though Marcus had been _special_.

Forget the amazing body, beautiful face, and sexy as fuck voice, he was so sweet.  He was always happy, strangely trusting, and just a little bit odd for someone with such classic good looks.

Everything between the two of them had been a surprise.  Their first meeting, their first time, their first full night together, and now Marcus had decided to save this surprise for last… the sale of the villa.

 

 

“You look unsure about this,” Mr. Norton said taking the signed sheet from Marcus.

“I’m not,” Marcus sighed.  “I want to do this.”

“Okay, well then we’ll get the ball rolling.  How about you take everything you want from the home and leave what you don’t want and we’ll allocate it as you see fit.

“What about Esca?”

“The one living there?”  Mr. Norton shrugged.  “We talked about this, he’ll just have to find something else.”

Marcus nodded, but he still felt sick to his stomach.

 

 

“Hey buddy,” Esca said handing Cub a grilled cheese sandwich. 

“Are you sad, daddy?”  Cub asked blowing on the sandwich in preparation of his first bite.

Esca pressed his eyes closed.  “No Cub, everything’s going to be okay,” he lied.

 

 

“No Cub, everything’s going to be okay.”

Marcus closed the door behind him as he entered the home.  This was the worst he’d ever felt.  Not when he’d lost his parents, not when he’d lost his uncle, not when Steve ditched him.  Marcus had an idea of why that was so.  All those times were out of his control.  He’d had control over this one, and he’d screwed it up.  Majorly.

“Hey Esca,” Marcus almost whimpered.

“Mr. Aquila,” Esca’s voice was cold and unforgiving.  “Would you like lunch?”

“Please let me talk to you about this,” Marcus tried.

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“You saw the bill of sale?”  Marcus had figured that earlier.

“I saw the evidence of your lie,” Esca spat.

“Well,” Marcus shrugged.  “It’s final.”

All the anger and fury in Esca’s face melted, all that remained was absolute and utter sadness and defeat.  That killed Marcus on the inside.

“Lancelot and I will be off the villa grounds before this evening,” Esca almost bowed.

“No, Esca…” Marcus slouched.  “You can stay for as long as you need.  Nothing is going to be final for a few weeks. 

“Then we’ll leave tomorrow morning,” Esca said turning and leaving Marcus alone in the kitchen.

Marcus looked around the kitchen before entering the living room.  Surveying each room he looked for what he wanted from the villa and what he’d just give up.  In the bedroom he grabbed the picture of his father and his uncle.  Then standing in the hall he knew immediately the one other thing he’d take.  He walked into the locked room and picked up the album of Jane.

That was all he needed, was pictures. 

At about 5:30 Marcus felt his stomach grumbling.  He went into the kitchen and immediately felt a hankering for some grilled cheese.  It didn’t surprise him that he’d crave it after having seen Cub eat it the last four days.  He mirrored the things Esca did when preparing for Cub’s arrivals.

As usual though, Marcus got distracted.  It wasn’t long until Esca ran into the kitchen and grabbed the pan yelling “What the fuck’s wrong with you?!”

Marcus had wandered into the living room.  Entering the kitchen the dense smoke hit his senses immediately.  He’d completely burnt the sandwich to a crisp and almost set the villa on fire.

“Oh man,” Marcus whined.

“What were ya going for?  Extra crispy grilled cheese?”  Though Esca seemed to be cracking a joke, his voice was still humorless and angry.

“I… I…” Marcus gave up.

“Let me do it,” Esca sighed grabbing the bread and cheese and going through the motions again.

“What happened?”  Cub laughed as he entered the kitchen.

“Nothing buddy,” Marcus laughed putting on a face for the little one.

“I made a drawing today,” Cub said handing it to Marcus.  “It’s for you.”

“Yeah?”  Marcus said crouching down and accepting the picture.  Esca stared in shock, this was obviously a big deal for Cub having opened up this much to Marcus.

Marcus looked down at it.  There were three figures holding hands.  On the left was obviously Marcus as he was the tallest by at least half a foot.  He was holding hands with Cub who even drew himself in the costume in the picture.  To Cub’s right was Esca.

“This is fantastic little guy!”  Marcus felt himself almost choking up.

“Can I play outside for five more minutes?”  Cub said seemingly forgetting the interaction with Marcus now.

“Five more minutes, but then you got to come in for dinner,” Esca replied.

After Cub sprinted out of the kitchen Marcus stood back up feeling his joints crack.

“It’s us,” Marcus said.

“I see that,” Esca was angrier.

“Esca…” Marcus took a deep breath.  In the breath Marcus thought about the first time they’d literally run into each other.  Everything between the two of them had been a surprise.  Their first meeting, their first time, their first full night together, and now Marcus had decided to save this surprise for last…  “Move to Texas with me.”

 

 

Everything between the two of them had been a surprise.  This was certainly the biggest surprise of them all.  “What?”  Esca almost dropped the pan.

“You and Cub could move to Texas with me.  My house is big enough, I have plenty of money and Cub could get a fantastic education there.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Esca laughed.

“I’m serious,” Marcus replied.  “Esca, I am serious about this.”  Marcus tentatively touched Esca’s arm.  When Esca didn’t fight it Marcus decided it was safe to go in for more.  He softly touched his lips to Esca’s, receiving no kiss in return. 

Esca felt a surge of passion, he couldn’t resist this man and now he was kissing him.  It was all Esca could take.  He grabbed Marcus and began to press against him harder than he had ever before.  He slammed Marcus against the wall and kissed hungrily as they rubbed against each other.  Esca hadn’t intended on this being an answer to Marcus’s proposition, but it seemed by Marcus’s excitement that he had.

“It’s burning again,” Cub said walking into the kitchen.

Esca launched off of Marcus and looked at his son.  It seemed little Cub hadn’t noticed a thing except for the fact that yes the grilled cheese had yet again begun erupting in black smoke.

“Shit!”  Esca grabbed at the pan but it was too late, the grilled cheese was done.

“Well it looks like neither of us can seem to make one,” Marcus laughed.

Esca felt ashamed for what he was about to suggest, “Maybe we should just order a pizza?”

 

 

Cub was exceedingly excited about the pizza.  Marcus figured he probably didn’t get it much due to the fact that his father was an expert cook.  Sitting around the kitchen table enjoying the greasy delivery pizza seemed a perfect end to the evening.  However Marcus and Esca still had their nightly beers to attend to. 

After clean up and the eventually getting Cub into bed, Esca did in fact come back over and join Marcus who’d already stationed himself on the porch.  He had hoped Esca would come. 

“They’re Roman Pines,” Esca said.

“Huh?”

“The trees…” Esca pointed to those amazing trees that surrounded the villa.  “They’re Roman Pines.  Your uncle loved them.”

“They’re incredible.”

“They’re not in Texas,” Esca replied immediately.

“True,” Marcus nodded.  After a minute he continued, “But I am.”

“You are something else Marcus Aquila.  You’ve known me for four days and now you’re all ready to shack up with me and let my son, who has no blood relation to me move in to your home in Texas.”

“Well I mean… you’ve seen me try to make grilled cheese…”

“Yeah, and you’ve seen me try to make grilled cheese when you’re around,” Esca laughed.

“I figure there’s no harm in it,” Marcus shrugged. “We’re both in the same boat.”

“What do ya mean?”

“I’m jobless… you’re jobless…”

“You have a shit ton of money though,” Esca replied.

“I have what I’m getting from the settlement from the sale of the company,” Marcus nodded.

“And one point five million from the villa,” Esca added.

“No,” Marcus shook his head.  “You’re getting that.”

Esca froze not letting himself believe he heard what he’d heard.

“I put you as the primary and sole benefactor to the sale of the estate.”

“Why?”  Esca seemed defensive.  Marcus figured it was because he didn’t want his charity.

“This was more yours than it was ever mine.  That and you knew my uncle… I didn’t.  Why should I get anything of his?”

“He was your blood.”

“But he was your family.”

Silence fell between them.  Comfortable silence, but complete silence nonetheless.

“I don’t really have any family… not anymore,” Marcus shrugged.

Esca placed down his beer, “You have us.”

 

 

Everything between the two of them had been a surprise.  Their first meeting, their first time, their first full night together, and now their living arrangement.  This wasn’t going to be the last surprise… they both knew that.  Life’s a surprise and Esca and Marcus figured that they’re just along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who put up with this excruciatingly boring story, and have an interest in what I based it off of, it's a piece of music for orchestra called "Pines of Rome" by Ottorino Respighi. It is beautiful, magnificent, and all together breathtaking. Take a listen to it if you've got about 20 minutes or so. Interestingly the piece was boo'ed at it's premiere, but has since become a staple in the orchestral repertoire. Part of it was featured in the Disney film Fantasia 2000, but they cut out some of the best parts!!!!
> 
> For those of you who have a similar passion for this work (and music in general) as I do, I thought I'd put a few of the ways I was inspired here. 
> 
> I. The Pines of the Villa Borghese: Obviously "The Villa" comes from that movement title. Also, however I introduce Roman Pines for the first time. This particular movement is about children pretending to be soldiers and playing outside. Instead I had a child pretending to be a wolf outside.
> 
> II. Pines Near a Catacomb: I translated catacomb as grave stone for this particular section. Not much else for this one....
> 
> III. The Pines of the Janiculum: Janus is the god of two faces and so I utilized a few different two-faced themes in this section. Marcus was especially two-faced. 
> 
> IV. The Pines of the Appian Way: The Appian Way was a warpath the Romans used. I have a line describing Esca as on a warpath. Also the ground shaking slam of the door is a nod to the fact that this movement rattles the floor and the listeners when it's performed.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


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